


Love in the Time of COVID-19

by SnailedIt_O_V



Category: Uta no Prince-sama
Genre: Betaed by MS Read Aloud, Drabbles, Fluff, I am also stuck in isolation, WTF
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-07
Updated: 2020-07-17
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:35:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 3,395
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25130983
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SnailedIt_O_V/pseuds/SnailedIt_O_V
Summary: Our favourite Shining Agency boys are stuck in isolation thanks to COVID-19. What on earth will they get up to?
Comments: 9
Kudos: 32





	1. Day 1

“So, how much longer is Cecil visiting Agnapolis?” Otoya asks, wiggling in the backseat of the van, trying to get comfortable for the umpteenth time during the three-hour drive.

“Another two weeks, I believe,” Masato replies, glancing at his phone. “He only left a few days ago, remember?”

“Yeah, but it’s boring without him around,” Otoya pouts. “I mean, he’s lucky he got to leave, with flights being cancelled and stuff, but still…”

“Wanna bake some cookies with me when we get back?” Natsuki chirps from the front passenger seat. “I found a new recipe I want to try.”

“Ah…”

Suddenly, Natsuki’s Piyo-chan ringtone goes off. At the same time, Masato’s phone makes a light chime, and Otoya’s sounds off a complicated guitar riff.

“Ha ha, I thought this only happens in manga,” Otoya laughs, pulling out his phone. The laughter dies in his throat, however, when he reads the text message waiting for him.

“It’s from the Agency,” Masato says.

“Yeah…mine too,” Natsuki replies. “Everything…all our events, our jobs…cancelled until further notice.”

Otoya’s eyes are wide with shock. “What about the filming we just did?”

“Who knows?” Masato shrugs. “Hopefully, it won’t go to waste. All we can do is go back to the Agency dorms and wait for more information.”

V_@_~~~~_@_V

“Cancelled…yeah…yeah, I get it…Well, the Agency gave us instructions to stay here for now, so…yeah, alright. Bye.” Ren ends the call and wipes the sweat from his forehead with his gym towel, leaning against the treadmill he’d been using until about five minutes ago.

“Your brother?” Tokiya asks, fiddling with his own phone while standing on a neighbouring treadmill.

“Yeah,” Ren replies. “All his gigs are postponed until further notice, and anything involving me has been outright cancelled based on instructions from Shining Agency.”

“Bummer.” Syo drops his weights and saunters over. “I had a feeling this would happen to us eventually. Still, better safe than sorry, I guess.”

“The real question is,” Tokiya states, looking up from his phone with the air of someone about to get a tooth pulled, “what on earth are we going to do with all this free time?”

Ren and Syo burst out laughing, and Ren slaps him on the back. “Leave it to our resident workaholic to worry about something like that! Come on, let’s shower and grab a snack. I think Shinomi left some cookies in the common room.”

“Be my guest,” Syo mumbles with a shudder.

V_@_~~~~_@_V

“FUCK!” Ranmaru stomps out of his room.

“Impossible!” Camus storms out of his.

Catching sight of each other, the two men glare at one another as though fighting for dominance over the territory known as “QUARTET NIGHT’s apartment” – which, in fact, they are.

“What do you want?” They both ask at the same time. Ranmaru tsks and Camus scowls, and they probably would have continued fighting had Reiji and Ai not come through the front door at that exact moment.

“We’re baaaaaaack!” Reiji singsongs, plunking groceries on the kitchen counter. “Oh? What’s up?”

“Fuck off, Reiji.” Ranmaru growls at the same time Camus snips, “None of your concern.”

“Ah…I assume this is about the message from the Agency,” Ai states, unpacking some of the groceries and organizing the fridge.

“What message?” Reiji whips out his phone.

“It came while you were paying for the groceries.” Ai closes the fridge with a shrug.

“Aww, why didn’t you tell me sooner?” Reiji mock-pouts, then frowns for real after reading over the contents of the message. “Well…this should be interesting…”

Ranmaru and Camus are still glaring daggers at each other. Ai blinks. “There are at least twenty-three words suitable for describing the current situation. ‘Interesting’ is not one of them.”


	2. Day 3

Otoya hangs upside-down from his bed, laying with his back arched over the side and his head practically touching the floor.

“Tokiya.”

Tokiya shifts slightly on the sofa, eyes glued to his book.

“Tokiya.”

Tokiya flips a page.

“Tokiya.”

Tokiya sighs. “What is it, Otoya? And don’t say you’re bored.”

Otoya opens his mouth, thinks better of it, and closes it again.

Tokiya flips another page.


	3. Day 6

“Perfect! Syo-chan, you’re adorable!”

“Jeez, Natsuki! Haven’t you had enough already?” Syo grumps, poking at the sky-blue bow in his hair. “This is, like, the eighth dress – how do you even have so many to begin with?”

Natsuki places a thoughtful finger on his chin. “But these are only my favourites. I have a bunch more in Hokkaido I’ve been saving for you, once I find matching shoes or ribbons.” Suddenly, his face lights up, and Syo gets a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. “Oh, but even if they’re incomplete, maybe I can get my mom to ship some here! We’re going to be in isolation for quite some time, after all.”

Syo’s face turns deathly pale, and only sheer willpower keeps him from fainting like the damsel he’s dressed as.


	4. Day 8

“…and the next place is…here!”

Ren throws a second dart at the map he’s pinned up over his dartboard. It lands somewhere in India.

“And finally…here!” The third dart buries itself in the map, and Ren ambles over to take a better look.

“Jinguji. What on earth are you doing?” Masato looks up from his phone over a steaming cup of green tea, one eyebrow quirked quizzically.

“Not that it’s of any particular concern of yours, but I’m deciding on my next three locations for my travelogue once international travel is allowed again.” Ren squints at the map. “Let’s see here…Ugh, the print is so tiny…”

“How is throwing darts at random a demonstration of decisiveness?”

“Shut up.” Ren walks over to his desk, pulls out a magnifying glass – it was a prop for something he snagged at some point – and returns to the map. “Okay, we’ve got… Naples – been there, but only passed through – New Delhi, and…Dildo.”

“Dil- of all the things to joke about…!” Masato turns a deep red.

“I…I’m not joking.” Ren’s tone is a mixture of confusion and awe. “It’s in Canada.” He blinks at the map for a moment, then turns to Masato. “Wanna come with?”


	5. Day 11

Cecil taps the refresh button again in his SMS app. It’s 2am in Agnapolis, and he can’t sleep, so he’s hoping someone – anyone – from the Agency is online that he can chat with. So far, nothing.

With a sigh, he switches to his text message app. He _really_ wants to talk to someone, but who?

He enters 31313 as the recipient, then sends a six-digit number as the message. In two seconds, his phone pings with the next six buses scheduled to stop at a bus stop near Tokyo Tower. He sends another six-digit number – now he’s got the next six buses scheduled to stop near QUARTET NIGHT’s apartment building. After thinking for a moment, he sends another six-digit number at random, and gets another list of buses, though he has no idea where they’re scheduled to stop. He sends another. And then another…


	6. Day 15

Reiji leafs through a magazine. He’s the only one in the common area, and the apartment is as quiet as a tomb. The other three are in their respective rooms, keeping themselves occupied, and while he wishes it were a little more lively and sociable, the quiet is better than constant bickering. Even he can only handle so much.

Ai is the first to immerge. He trudges through the common area without a word, and a moment later Reiji hears him knock on Ranmaru’s door.

_Ehe, good luck, Ai-Ai_ , Reiji thinks to himself. _He’s probably going to hibernate until this is all over_.

However, the door creaks open, and Ranmaru mumbles some kind of acknowledgement.

“Can I borrow your bass for about an hour?” Ai asks.

“The fuck you will!” Ranmaru scoffs and slams the door.

Ai stares at the door for a second, then makes his way back through the common area. However, instead of going back to his room, he goes to the kitchen. Reiji hears him rummaging in the fridge, then clattering pots and pans. He’s dying of curiosity, but resists interrupting Ai. Soon, there’s chopping and sizzling sounds, and a delicious smell wafts through the air. In no time Ai walks through the common area with a beautifully-plated ommurice in one hand and a banana in the other, looking exactly like this is a normal, everyday occurrence for him.

Reiji’s jaw drops open. _Since when did he know how to do that?!_

Ai taps at Ranmaru’s door again, and again the door creaks open. This time, no words are exchanged, and Ai walks back to his room empty-handed. His door clicks shut, and Reiji finally turns his attention back to his magazine. _Ran-Ran loves his food, but it’s going to take more than that to convince him to let someone else touch his bass._

Twenty minutes later, Ranmaru shuffles through the common area…carrying his bass and amp. He thumps on Ai’s door, and when it opens, he mumbles, “You can’t play it, but I’ll play whatever you want me to play. That good enough?” Reiji can’t hear how Ai responds, but the door closes and Ranmaru doesn’t come back, so Ai must have been fine with the arrangement.

Reiji chuckles to himself. _Miracles do happen…_


	7. Day 18

There’s a gentle tap at the door, and Otoya opens it.

“Oh, Masa, hi!”

“May I come in?”

“Of course! Tokiya, Masa’s here.”

“Ah.” Tokiya looks up from his sketchbook and swivels his chair around. “Hijirikawa-san, welcome.”

Then he and Otoya both notice the duffle bag over his shoulder and the dark circles under his eyes.

“If it’s not too much trouble…can I spend the next few nights here?”

“It’s no trouble but…may I ask what happened?” Tokiya’s voice is laced with genuine concern.

“Jinguji happened.”

“Oh…” Otoya’s smile droops. “You guys get in a fight again?”

“Not…exactly,” Masato sets his bag down on the floor next to the sofa, then plops down on it and pinches the bridge of his nose. “He…Mikaze-senpai and he are trying to outlast each other marathoning on some online game. He’s been at it for almost thirty hours now, if he hasn’t collapsed already.”

“Woah…” Otoya scratches his head and looks over at Tokiya, who’s a little wide-eyed himself.

“He’s already been keeping irregular hours, and I’ve had to move many of my daytime activities to the common areas while he sleeps. Then he’s up all night. And the smell…”

Suddenly there’s a bang on the door, then the handle turns and Ren stumbles in, wearing oversized headphones over one ear and balancing his laptop in one hand, typing furiously with the other. His hair is stringy and flat, his eyes are bloodshot, and his sweats and t-shirt have stains and Cheezies streaks all over them.

In short, he’s a mess.

“Hijiri,” he mumbles. “Been lookin’ e’rywhere for ya. Ken ya grab me another dozen Red Bull? Gotta keep goin’…”

Masato rolls his eyes. “And even if I wanted to – which I don’t – how am I supposed to get anything for you when we’re in isolation and under strict orders not to leave the grounds?”

Ren looks up from his screen and blinks, owl-like. “Oh…right. S’rry. Oop, boss raid in ten minutes…” He stumbles out, and Masato closes the door behind him. Otoya rushes to open a window.

Tokiya places a gentle hand on Masato’s shoulder and looks him in the eye with all the gravity of a priest.

“Stay here as long as you wish.”


	8. Day 21

“I’m not wearing underwear todaaaaaaay!” Tokiya bellows into the TV remote, gripping it like a microphone while planting one foot on the sofa’s arm.

“No, I’m not wearing underwear todaaaaaaay!” echoes Otoya, sitting cross-legged on the other end of the sofa and hammering away on a ukulele.

“Not that you prob’ly care…”

“…much about my underwear…”

“…still nonetheless I gotta saaaaaaaay…” Tokiya takes a deep breath and glances at Otoya, who grins and sings the last line with him.

“That I’m not wearing underwear to-daaaaaaaaaaaaay!”

Tokiya spins dramatically and collapses on top of Otoya, yelling "Get a job!!!!" and Otoya yells back "Thank you, honey!", lifting the ukulele out of the way just in time. They’re both cackling like idiots, and Otoya wipes away the tears streaming down his face.

“That was the best!” he giggles. “Your turn, Tokiya! What should we sing next?”

“Ah…” Tokiya catches his breath. “How about… _The Uncertainty of the Poet_?”

“Aww, I can’t play that yet, and we’d need more voices.”

“Fair,” Tokiya nods. “How about…”

V_@_~~~~_@_V

Syo carefully closes the door and looks up at Natsuki, who had been watching with him through the crack. “Somehow…I think we just witnessed something incredible…”

They crouch there in silence, listening to Otoya retune the ukulele. Then the familiar strains of _Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot Bikini_ drift through the keyhole and Syo stands abruptly, almost knocking Natsuki’s chin with the top of his head.

“Perhaps…we should come back another time…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The three songs mentioned in this drabble are:  
> Avenue Q - I'm Not Wearing Underwear Today: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_q7Cy3qSwKI  
> Kurt Elling - The Uncertainty of the Poet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sc4YzNWS6CE  
> Bryan Hyland - Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot Bikini: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICkWjdQuK7Q
> 
> Thanks to this Twitter post for inspiration: https://twitter.com/corvsaber/status/1262415979310485512?s=19


	9. Day 23

“Is this right?” Cecil holds up a piece of paper in front of his webcam.

“Hmm…” Masato squints at the screen. “Leaving aside the stroke order for now, since I can’t see that from this angle, the legibility of your kanji has improved considerably.”

“Thank you!” Cecil beams. “I’ve been really working hard…maybe I’ll be good enough to take the next proficiency level test when I get back.”

Masato chuckles. “That’s certainly an admirable goal, though there’s no pressing need for you to do so.”

“True, but it will leave a good impression on the court officials here if I can achieve the highest level before I take over the throne.” Cecil’s smile falters a little, and Masato’s chest tightens with sudden worry.

“Don’t tell me…”

“No no no!” Cecil waves his hands in front of him in protest. “I’m definitely coming back. I…I miss you all. And I miss our music. I just…” Suddenly, he sniffles, and tears spill down his cheeks. “What if I can’t come back, ever?”

He buries his face in his hands, kanji lesson forgotten as he sobs his heart out, and Masato watches in silence, unable to think of a single comforting thing to say. A single tear slips down his face…then another, and another, and soon he, too, is weeping with Cecil over the uncertainty of their future.


	10. Day 26

Camus shifts his laundry basket to his hip as he opens the door to the laundry room…and practically tumbles over Ai, who’s sitting in front of the washing machine and staring intently at the swirling storm of underwear and detergent behind the glass door.

“Mikaze!” Camus huffs. “What the devil are you doing there?”

“Shh,” Ai whispers, not once looking away from the washer. “I’m measuring the efficiency of each combination of wash cycle settings for each type of clothing. Please don’t interrupt – oh, the next stage is about to start.”

Slowly, the underwear and soapy water slosh to a standstill, and Camus catches himself holding his breath under the pressure of Ai’s intense focus on the rate the water is draining, on the sound of the machine recalibrating itself for the next phase. He gives himself a mental shake and turns to leave, mumbling “Ridiculous!” under his breath.

“Camus,” Ai calls, and Camus pauses. “I haven’t finished all my tests, and I still need to evaluate the dryer. Do you mind allowing me to use your clothing as test material?” Camus opens his mouth to protest, but Ai continues. “Rest assured, I will match the care required for each item with the appropriate combination of settings.”

Camus hesitates. It’s not like he loves doing laundry, but he is rather particular with his clothing – most of his daily wear falls under the “business casual” category, even while they’ve all been in isolation. Then again, Ai is running efficiency tests on the best front-loading washer money can buy. If he had to trust anyone with his clothing…

“If anything stains, shrinks, or suffers any damage, you’re replacing it.”


	11. Day 30

A loud bang startles Masato, making him leave a weird squiggle halfway through his calligraphy. A second bang, followed by a muffled voice calling his name, indicates the commotion is coming from the other side of the door. With a final glance at the ruined calligraphy, Masato sighs, straightens his kimono, and shuffles over to the door.

“Yes?”

“Hijirikawa, come on! You gotta come see this!” Syo practically knocks him over has he bursts his way in, yelling with excitement. “Come on – and bring a bowl!”

“A bowl?” Masato questions.

“You got one?”

“Ah…” he glances around, looking through cupboards and drawers until, miracle of miracles, he finds a camping set, complete with utensils. Why he has this, he has no idea, but Syo’s already tugging on his sleeve, so he grabs the whole bag and brings it with him.

They make their way down the hall, Syo leading the way until they come to an unused suite usually reserved for visitors. Unlike the dorm rooms, this suite has a small living room area, a tiny kitchenette, and a bathroom. When Masato finally stumbles in behind Syo, he’s hit with the intense aroma of Japanese curry.

“Masato-kun, hi!” Natsuki waves. “You’re just in time!” He’s standing just outside the bathroom door clutching a Piyo-chan bowl. Tokiya’s next to him, pinching the bridge of his nose in exasperation…but he, too has a bowl and a spoon. Syo falls into place behind him, and Masato follows.

“Come one, come all!” Ren’s voice singsongs dramatically from the bathroom. “The first annual Shining Agency Dorm Curry Party has begun!”

Otoya’s head pops out of the bathroom, arm stretched holding his phone high in the air. “Look, Rei-chan, everyone’s here!”

Reiji’s voice sounds tinny from the phone’s tiny speakers, which only serve to augment his mock-whining. “Aww Otoyan, no fair having fun without me. Rei-chan sad!” Masato can’t see the screen, but he’s sure Reiji is pouting. Suddenly, a thought occurs to him – a thought that should have occurred to him the moment he stepped inside the suite.

“If this is a curry party…why are we all lined up outside the bathroom instead of near the kitchen?”

“Oh, that’s the best part!” Otoya exclaims, then gets distracted by his phone. “Rei-chan, I lost you...you still there?”

As Otoya fiddles with his phone, Natsuki slips past him into the bathroom, then emerges a few seconds later with a bowlful of curry and rice. “Mmm, it smells so good!” he exclaims, and makes his way to the living room to eat it.

“Apparently, they couldn’t find any large pots,” Tokiya shrugs before heading into the bathroom. “Nice of them to use tofu instead of meat…”

Masato tries to see into the bathroom above Syo’s head, but the angle is all wrong. It’s not until Syo actually goes into the bathroom that Masato can see exactly what’s going on.

There’s a small mountain of sticky white rice piled in one end of the bathtub, complimented by a lake of curry pooling in the other half, prevented from draining thanks to the drain plug. Ren’s leaning sideways over the bathtub and wielding a rice paddle and a ladle with expert movements, scooping up a big chunk of rice and plopping it into Syo’s bowl before emptying a ladleful of curry next to it. “There you go, Ochibi-chan!” Ren grins. “Enjoy!”

“Again with calling me short!” Syo grumps, but he’s already heading out of the bathroom to go enjoy his curry in the living room.

“Hijirikawa. I’m surprised to see you,” Ren smirks. “Didn’t think you’d join in.”

Masato approaches the bathtub carefully, not fully believing the sight in front of him. “Kurusu didn’t explain any details when he fetched me.”

“Don’t worry, Masa,” Otoya reassures him from the hallway. “We cooked everything properly, and it tastes really good. Try it!”

“J-just a little, then…” Masato watches Ren hack off a chunk from the rice mountain into his bowl, followed by a scoop of curry. He takes his bowl from Ren with a nod of thanks and heads down the short hallway to join the others.

He’s never going to think about bathtubs the same way again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to LadyLancer for providing the inspiration: https://fresh-and-hot-tiktoks.tumblr.com/post/619045802112843776/translation-wait-what-what-are-you-waiting


End file.
